The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-19
GE0RGIA'S STATE ROAD.
MR.. DEAN CONTINUES HIS SPEECH
IN FAVOR OF SELLING.

MR.. DEAN CON1IN UES his SP1ECd
IN FAVOR OF SELLING.
Many Strong Points Made in Behalf of
His Measure-Mr. James Opposes
the Sale and Defends the Constitu-
tionality of State Ownership The
Proposition to Teach Hygiene in the
Schools Lost.
ATLANTA, GA, Aug. 1S.-In the Senate
to-day consideration of the Brady bill, the
special order for to-day, was deferred to
next Wednesday. and the debate on the
Dean bill was continued, with Mr.. Dean on
the floor. He believed the minority report
must be a dream. The arguments are
without reason. Their claim that the sale
of the road and payment Of the public debt
will impair the States credit is one of the
strongest The State is paying in interest,
on its debt, more than the income on
this property. That the States credit Will
be impaired by wiping out the pub
lie debt is a proposition he could
not understand. Another objection
is that the educational fund viii be dccreas-
ed, and hazard and cripple the whole educa-
tional system of the State The argument
is fallacious If Georgia, burdened with
great debt. with an annual interest to pay
of $3.50 more per annum than the in
come on this road. has built up and sup
ported school system will she not be bet
ter able to support and maintain the system
with this debt wiped out and no interest to
payi Ii Will be merely n change of funds,
for the $4,000 now given the school fund
$150,000 must be taken out of the tax funds
and paid on the public debt.
FAvoRS A BETTER SCHOOL SYSTEM.
He said he was in favor of better and
higher school system, and that would be one
OF the good results of the bill On the mat
ter of hetter7nents, the speaker said that if
it be true, as claimed by the minority re
port. that the bill encouraged the idea of
paying bctteTments. he would as earnestly
oppose the measure as any one, but that is
not true There is nothing in the bill that
anticipates the payment of the betterments.
You cannot force such a construction
This proposition under the bill was
TO commit the State to the contrary
position and stand by it. The
State has the right to receive the road as it
is to-day, with all the improvements that
are in the nature of fixtures. On the ques-
ton of railway stock as much as the State
could presume to sell or deliver would be
5000 600, the amount of the rolling stock
owned by the State in the original inven-
tory The minority report claims that the
sale of the road would be opposed to the
expressed will of a large majority of the
people of Georgia. When this ques-
ton was discussed before the
people the facts were not
fairly brought out. Since thew
have been brought out, the people do not
feel themselves bound by an expression of
opinion made by them some time ago, and
in the light of reason will now favor the
sale
NOT BAD BUSINESS POLICY.
The last objection is that the sale at the
price fixed would be a bad business policy
To this Mr.. Dean replied that the price
would extingush the State debt. would re-
duce the State tax, and save the cost and
expense of collecting it. The argument
needed no reply 1t was also claimed by
the minority that it is not the time to sell
the road Why notl The lease is about to
expire, and as a business proposition
We should be prepared so that the State be
not forced into either a lease or sale There
can be no argument upon that issue 1t is
said by some that the price is too high, and
by others that it is too low. Mr. Dean
made rapid inventory of the road with
the terminal properties in Atlanta and
Chattanooga, to show that the minimum
price fixed in the bill was entirely justifiable.
The time has passed, if it ever were right,
when the State should build and operate
railroads Private wealth and individual
enterprise can now accomplish these things
and find them profitable Investments The
State should let them alone.
THE MINoRITY's VIEWS
Mr.. James, of the Thirty-sixth district,
who signed the minority report, in his argu-
ment against the bill, said he had been un.
able to see in the Federal or State constitu-
ton anything to prohibit either the State or
Federal government owning, maintaining or
operating railroad These constitutional
rttya a
when the Senator from the Forty second
was elected, but, ON the contrary, when he
asked for their sufferage he claimed that he
was opposed to the sale of the State road
He believed the people of Georgia were op-
posed TO the sale of the road. None of the
great statesmen of Georgia have ever found
any constitutional objections to the States
owning the road. 1t was left for the Sena-
tor from the Forty-second district to find
constitutional objections which escaped
Alexander Stephens and Herschel V John
son. 1t is not true that the road corrupted the
politics of Georgia from 1850 to now. The
Executive, Legislature and Judiciary have
stood as high as any in the Union. The
speaker esteemed IL "A pleasure to stand in
his place and deny that legislation has
been corrupted by this road GeOrgia's
Senators and Representatives will compare
favorably with any State in the Union.
What Executive OF Georgia has ever been
corrupted by the State roadl
AS GOOD AS THE BEST
The executive department of this State.
before, during, and since the war, has been
as well managed as that of any State in the
South. Since the war the property of the
State has increased from $l9i ,2s5, 52l to
S34l 900, 600 in 1887, and the State is going
on and on to a greatery prosperity The
charge of corruption is a reflection on the
State which cannot be sustained. The op-
position to this bill is prompted by no other
motive than the conviction that the bill
is wrong, and we propose to stand by what
we believe is to the best interests of Geor-
gia, and the future prosperity of the State.
There is a logical reason for the opposition
to the bill, and il is founded on honesty and
patriotism. The total cost of the road to the
people of Georgia was S6,570,0O0 What
has it paid the Statei IL has paid a hand
some income ever since its completion to
Chattanooga. Mr.. James reviewed the finan-
cial management of the road up TO the time
of the lease showing that the road has always
been profitable, even though in certain
years, owing to bad management, the State
did not get the benefit of it.
ONLY ADVOCATING THE RIGHT.